''Siembra'' () is the second studio album by Panamian singer and songwritter

Rubén Blades Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...

and Puerto Rican-American

trombonist The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

Willie Colón William Anthony Colón Román (born April 28, 1950) is an American salsa musician and social activist. He began his career as a trombonist and also sings, writes, produces and acts. He is also involved in the politics of New York City. Coló ...

. It was released through

Fania Records Fania Records is a New York–based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and his Brooklyn-born Italian-American ex-New York City Police Officer turned lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964. The label took its name ...

on 7 September 1978. It is considered the best selling salsa album in the history of

salsa music Salsa music is a style of Latin American music. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montu ...

and

Latin music Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...

. Was recorded by

Jerry Masucci Gerald "Jerry" Masucci (October 7, 1934 – December 21, 1997) was an American attorney, businessman and was co-founder of Fania Records. Biography Masucci was born in Brooklyn, New York to Italian immigrant parents Urbano and Elvira Masucci. He ...

and

Johnny Pacheco Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021), known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer who in the 1970s became one of the leading exponents of salsa as well in ...

at the La Tierra Sound Studios between 1977 and 1978.

Background

''Siembra'' is the second of four collaborative duo albums produced by Rubén Blades and Willie Colón. During its time, it was the best-selling salsa record in history. It has sold over three million copies worldwide, and almost all of its songs were hits at one time or another in various Latin American countries. With its rousing social commentary and unconventional sound, "Siembra" set the salsa world on fire and remains one of the most original and influential works in that genre. Among Siembra's tracks, Blades' masterpiece is still " Pedro Navaja," a song that he fashioned after Bertolt Brecht's "Threepenny Opera."

Critical reception

John Bush of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

gave the album a five-star rating, praising the composition of the songs by Blades as well the arrangements by Colón. Bush emphasizes the use of disco arrangements at the beginning of the first track, "Plástico", until Colón's band "slip into a devastating salsa groove". He also praised Blade's vocals, noting his high-tenor voice on "Buscando Guayaba" and tender tones on "Dime". The album was inducted into the

Latin Grammy Hall of Fame The Latin Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize "early recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that were released more than 25 years ago". LARAS is also the same organi ...

in 2007.

In pop culture

The song "Buscando Guayaba" was featured in the 1988

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

animated film ''

Oliver & Company ''Oliver & Company'' is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on November 18, 1988, by Walt Disney Pictures. The 27th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the Charl ...

''.

Track listing

Personnel

: Album Producer, Music Director, Chorus Ensemble, Trombone *

: Composer, Songwriter, Lead Vocals, Chorus Ensemble *Jon Fausty: Audio Engineer, Recording Schemes, Mixing *Kevin Zambrana: Asst. Audio Engineer * Leopoldo Pineda: Trombone * Jose Rodriguez: Trombone * Angel (Papo) Vazquez: Trombone * Sam Burtis: Trombone *José Torres: Piano, Fender Rhodes, Electric Piano * José Mangual Jr: Bongos, Maracas, Chorus Ensemble *Jimmy Delgado: Timbal *

Adalberto Santiago Adalberto Santiago (born April 23, 1937, in Pozas barrio, Ciales, Puerto Rico) is an internationally known salsa singer. Career Adalberto's relaxed and flawless lead vocals are among the best in the salsa genre of Latin music. His early inf ...

: Percussion, Chorus Ensemble *Eddie Montalvo: Tumbadora, Percussion * Johnny Ortiz: songwriter ''(Ojos)'' *Bryan Brake: Drums ''(Plástico)'' * Salvador Cuevas: Bass *Eddie Rivera: Bass *

: Executive Producer

References

{{Authority control 1978 albums Fania Records albums Willie Colón albums Rubén Blades albums Latin Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Salsa albums Spanish-language albums Albums produced by Willie Colón